1 posts categorized "Defense & Military Systems"

09/29/2010

The first release of XSensor generated approximately 5000 downloads, and has helped many iPhone users and software developers characterize, log, and develop applications for the sensors in the iPhone in real-world scenarios. The new release adds additional features to plot and log the new 3-axis gyro sensor inside the new iPhone 4 model. By the way, the smart inertial navigation gurus in Crossbow’s engineering department have tested this gyro and it is not too bad for a consumer product.

The new release of XSensor also adds logging for the phone’s GPS receiver (lat, long, altitude units). The application also reports and logs attitude data as computed by the iPhone’s built-in attitude estimation algorithms which include gyro-assisted roll, pitch, and heading. These values are conceptually like the data from a Crossbow NAV440 or GNAV540 in that they blend readings from the accelerometer, gyro, and magnetic sensor into an attitude and heading estimate. The difference however is that in this area, Apple has a very long ways to go. We have tested the attitude estimation from the core motion API under real world dynamics (e.g., flying in a plane) and, well, from the perspective of a Crossbow AHRS engineer, they won’t keep you on target.

The new 1.1 release of the XSensor application is free for data-logging up to 30seconds. Users, who wish to log data from the phone for extended periods, should purchase XSensor Pro for $9.99.

Users who purchased past versions can upgrade for free.

We always welcome feedback which has been frequent and positive for this nifty little software application. Have Fun!